NBC’s ‘Positively Real,’ Family-Centric Programming Lures Brands to Its Unscripted Summer Slate

Integrations include Jeep, Dunkin’ Donuts and Hotel Transylvania 3

When Mark Marshall took over as NBCUniversal’s evp of entertainment advertising sales in October 2016, he knew he had some heavy lifting to do when it came to convincing wary brands to advertise in NBC’s unscripted lineup.

Because of that, “I banned the word ‘reality’ for a period of time,” given the genre’s “negative connotations” across the industry, said Marshall. “We wanted to widen the aperture of what marketers thought reality programming is.”

With a brand-friendly summer slate that includes America’s Got Talent, American Ninja Warrior and World of Dance, and a new slogan for NBC’s alternative programming—“positively real”—Marshall believes he has now done that.

Working with Paul Telegdy, NBC Entertainment’s alternative and reality group president, Marshall positioned the shows as a brand-safe opportunity for clients to reach families, attracting new categories and advertisers to NBC’s summer lineup.

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